


From Marauding To Mothering

by Starrik



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-31
Updated: 2016-08-03
Packaged: 2018-07-28 10:16:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7636324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starrik/pseuds/Starrik
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>By no means a new idea; Sirius kidnaps Harry instead of chasing after Peter, reality ensues. At least for me, it's based off of a comic by tumblr user isozyme and a long meta by tumblr user lostradamus.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Godric's Hollow

It was what was missing that Sirius noticed first, as he let the tires of his less than typical motorcycle kiss the ground. Everyone checked for it first, these days, you could hardly help but look for the snake-tongued skull that trumpeted the devastation within. A sigh of relief billowed out through his nose, and he took the keys from the motorcycle as he dismounted, pushing open the Potters’ gate to get inside as fast as he could.

He’d heard… things, whispers, the kind of stuff that always seemed to precede another spat of deaths. Sirius himself had wondered if Voldemort’s supporters let such things slip before they killed to make everyone that much more afraid. It would be just like Voldemort, fear and division had been his tactics since the very beginning. After all, who could even envisage a Dark Wizard rising to challenge even Dumbledore of all people.

Sirius forced the thoughts away, and went to push open the Potters’ front door as he had done a million times before, since it was a very different pair of Potters that owned the house. The familiar, joking words of greeting died on his lips as he entered his adopted home, and looked upon the unimaginable.  
“James? No…” No, this wasn’t allowed. Everyone knew that the Dark Mark flew over every house that they attacked. It wasn’t there, the sky was clear, this was wrong. Even Voldemort had rules, and his number one rule was that the Dark Mark had to show where he’d killed. That was just how things were, how they had always been. James Potter could not be dead.

Without having consciously moved his legs, Sirius collapsed next to the corpse of his best friend, angry tears dripping down his cheeks. “James, come on, it’s alright. You’ve just had a bad pie, or something, or Lily’s stunned you because you grabbed her butt in front of Harry again. C’mon, mate, this isn’t funny any more.”  
The salty tears dropped from his cheeks onto James’ unmoving chest, which refused to move despite Sirius’ distress. A thought occurred to Sirius, a half-remembered conversation in which Moony had told him that Muggles knew a way to make people start breathing again. Sirius scrabbled at James’ chest, tearing the buttons off of the shirt he had been wearing in his haste to try and listen for a heartbeat, for the gentle sighs of breath.

When he heard nothing, Sirius placed both hands on James’ chest. He was about to start trying to pump air into Prongs’ lungs when he felt a massive hand on his shoulder, stopping him.  
“Sirius, ‘e’s dead. Nothin’ ye can do fer ‘im now.” Hagrid’s deep, slow voice should have been comforting, but to in Sirius’ mind hearing those words made it real, as though James Potter had been alive, would still be alive if Hagrid hadn’t spoken. Sirius spun as he stood up, pointing his wand at Hagrid in futile fury, which was when he saw the last thing that he’d expected. Baby Harry, nestled in the crook of Hagrid’s other arm, completely asleep, completely unharmed but for the lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead.  
“Hagrid, Harry, the Mark?” Sirius knew that none of those quite made words, but he didn’t care. He needed to understand what was going on, why they’d killed James, and Lily- “Lily,” he breathed, and before Hagrid could stop him Sirius was vaulting up the stairs, noticing what had slipped his mind as he had entered the Potter’s house. Open sky greeted him where a roof should have been, as Sirius surveyed the ruins of the second story.

The moment he figured out where Harry’s bedroom would have been, Sirius again moved instinctively, searching through the rubble of the house for what he knew- who he knew must be there.  
“Sirius, ye don’ want ter see it,” Hagrid called up from the intact first storey, but he was far too late to do anything helpful. The first thing Sirius found was her arm, and moments later he was tugging at the collapsed wall, getting it off of her so that at least, at least her family would have something that looked like their daughter to bury. The Killing Curse might not disfigure, but the weight of the roof on her certainly would.

Sirius pulled Lily’s body from the wreckage, cradling her in his now ash-covered arms, and brought her downstairs so that she could lie next to James. Hagrid had already closed James’ eyes when he returned, and Sirius chose not to mention the much larger wet patches on James’ clothes.

The two of them stood for a minute in complete silence, not even baby Harry moving in Hagrid’s arm to disturb them. “I can’ stay long, Sirius. Dumbledore wants me to bring Harry to ‘im righ’ away.” The words broke the spell of grief that had settled over the two of them, replaced on Hagrid face by determination and the faintest inkling of pride at Dumbledore’s trust in him, and complete confusion on Sirius’.  
“Dumbledore? What’s he got to do with this, Hagrid, I’m his godfather! I’m all he’s got!” Thoughts were starting to coalesce in Sirius’ brain, things that would have formed earlier but for grief. He’d lost two friends tonight, forever. One to an early grave, and one on whom Sirius would make sure he avenged James and Lily Potter’s death. The last thing he could face was failing in the most important promise he had ever made to them both of them.  
“Dumbledore’s orders, Sirius, ye understand?” Sirius shook his head, denial and shock giving way to anger that Hagrid would dare- no, that Dumbledore would do this to him, would do this to Harry on the worst night of the one year old’s life. On the worst night of Sirius’ life, to think about it. “Dumbledore says he goes to Lily’s sister.”  
“You mean those Muggles who wouldn’t even come to James and Lily’s wedding? No way, Hagrid. Harry’s coming with me. That’s what godfather means!” Hagrid’s great bearded head shook firmly, not happy with anything that Sirius was saying.  
“Dumbledore-”  
“Fuck Dumbledore, Hagrid! I’m leaving, and I’m taking Harry with me.” He hadn’t even managed to ask Hagrid why it was that James and Lily were dead, but Harry was still alive. Sirius’ wand was out, and he looked sadly at Hagrid. “I’m sorry Hagrid,” he said quietly, and muttered a Conjunctivitis curse, blinding Hagrid and slipping the baby from the huge man’s arm.  
“Sirius, ye can’ do this! Harry goes to the Dursleys-”  
“He’s better off with me,” Sirius fired back, casting a sad look at his two murdered friends before bursting back out the front door of the Potter’s house and leaping back onto his motorcycle. Sirius took a moment to turn his jacket into an improvised sling, before he took off down the road and into the inky black, still empty sky of Godric’s Hollow.


	2. A Letter of Utmost Urgency

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is how letters work, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise this one is an abnormally short chapter, I'm working on getting my length up during proper scenes. Clearly I don't know how AO3 works, because I did not expect to get quite so much of a response so quickly. Thanks everyone, it's really sweet of you all. I'm only about a chapter ahead right now, so if there's anything you want to see or fanfic advice you've got it'd be really appreciated (it's been a while since I wrote anything by myself, I tend to roleplay more). Thanks!

Dear Moony,

I’m almost not sure where to start. First of all: I’m sorry, old friend. I suspected you of being the spy in the Order, as I am sure you suspected me; and I know now that I was wrong. I hope you can forgive me for doubting you. That said, the little rat Wormtail is the spy, and I know that he’s scurrying into some hole or other to escape us as we speak. He was the Secret Keeper, I convinced James and Lily to swap us at the last minute and tell no one. I’m sorry, I should have told you, I should have gone after Peter, but-

Well, that’s the second thing I guess. I’ve kidnapped Harry, and now I’m on the run from Dumbledore. I know it sounds insane, but, you know me, and Dumbledore was going to send the boy to what might just be the worst family on the planet. Even for Muggles they’re awful, you know how much James hated his brother and sister in law. I’m his godfather, I mean, I swore I would… I guess it doesn’t really matter why, I’ve done it now, and Peter’s gone and Voldemort’s dead. I don’t know why, but he couldn’t kill little Harry, he’s just vanished.

If the price of ridding the world of Voldemort had to be James and Lily, I’m not sure if it was worth paying anymore.I need help, Moony, I might be the godfather but I’m realising very quickly that smiling in the photos and burping Harry after he ate is completely different to raising a kid. I need help, and you’re the only person I trust not to tell Dumbledore exactly where I am right now.

What do you say? Up for a little mischief, for James’ sake?

Padfoot

  
 

Dear Sirius,

I always knew you were mad. For James, and for Lily. I’ll see you soon.

Remus


	3. Old Friends, New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Remus Lupin, stage left.

A tired looking wizard made his way through the quiet village in the early hours of the morning. If there had been anyone awake to see him hurrying past, they would have stared at his odd, shabby clothing and wondered what on earth he was doing there, but there wasn’t and so his passing went entirely unremarked upon. Except, of course, by the wizard himself, who was torn between grumbling about the idiocies of his old friend, and trying desperately not to think of what had transpired only hours ago in a village quite alike this one.

Remus Lupin had not fared well during the war, the burden of not being able to trust anyone, even those friends who had stood close by him when they uncovered his monstrous secret, had been almost too much for him to bear. Now the war was over, and despite all indications to the contrary they had won, the dark lord Voldemort had been vanquished, and wizardkind was free of the deep depression and terror that had gripped it for a full decade. On their day of greatest triumph, when everything that he had sacrificed so much for had been achieved, Remus was plagued by grief and new worries.

What had Sirius got them both into, defying Dumbledore’s wishes and kidnapping Harry? Remus couldn’t pretend that he wanted James Potter’s son in the hands of the horrible Dursleys, whom he’d heard more than enough about from James after the attempts he’d made to reconcile with them had failed, and it was inconceivable that Harry would be raised by such people- but then, it was still inconceivable that James and Lily were dead, that the wizarding world no longer had two of it’s greatest heroes and that their son would have to live on without them.

If he really thought about it, the Marauders had defied Dumbledore often enough before, what with James and Sirius taking him in wolf form off running around the Hogwarts countryside when he should have been alone in the Shrieking Shack. He forced himself to stop thinking about the Marauders, what with James dead and Peter the reason he was gone, Remus knew that the Marauders were no more. It was just him and Sirius, now.

Would James and Lily really want their son raised by a werewolf? Remus smiled to himself, because the answer to that question was obvious. If they’d been able to choose, they would absolutely have picked Sirius and himself to raise Harry if they couldn’t. They actually had chosen Sirius.

He finally awoke from his thoughts, and turned down a little alleyway. Remus counted each of the doors as he passed, and when he hit the sixth one he knocked quietly on it.  
“Remus?” A whispered voice came from inside the shabby hut.  
“Yeah, it’s me Sirius. Open up.”  
“You haven’t just Polyjuiced yourself to look like Remus Lupin, have you?” Despite the war they’d just had, Sirius still wasn’t the best at subterfuge. How he had ever believed that this man was a spy, Remus could not say.  
“I’m a werewolf, and you’re an unregistered dog Animagus. Better?” The door opened somewhat reluctantly, although Remus soon discovered this was simply because there was no room for it to open any more than it had. He forced himself inside, and took a look around the single, magically lit room.

“You couldn’t find anywhere better?” Sirius scowled at him, and shut the flimsy wooden door behind his friend.  
“It’s not like I was under the best of circumstances, Remus. Running from Dumbledore, James and Lily d-” He couldn’t quite managed to get the last word out, and a tense silence enveloped the two. Harry, who had been sitting patiently on the floor until Uncle Remus noticed he was there, decided to break it by crawling over to him and tugging on the leg of his pants. Remus picked Harry up, and dusted the one year old off.

“It can’t be good for Harry, here,” he said, trying a more diplomatic approach to the situation. The dust in the room would have them all coughing if they stayed very long, and the shack didn’t have much going for it. In particular, the lack of any furniture at all. Or a bathroom. “Sirius-” Remus began, but the worried look that had etched itself into his friend’s face cut him off.  
“Remus what do we do? I mean, obviously we have to get Harry somewhere safe, but I am starting to realise that ‘safe’ means something entirely different when you’re trying to hide away from both Dumbledore and whatever Death Eaters there are left. Those bastards would like nothing more than to have one last hurrah by killing my godson!” Rarely had Remus seen Sirius so agitated, the man’s whole outlook on life centred around keeping infuriatingly calm in the face of danger. In the face of anything, really. A little bit concerned, Remus stepped forward and grabbed Sirius by the shoulders.

“If for no other reason than the fact that you’re upsetting the baby, you’ve got to get a grip, Sirius. Dumbledore trying to get Harry back is a lot different to hiding from murderous Death Eaters, for one, he’s not trying to kill us or Harry. And as for where, don’t you have the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black.” If Remus had Stunned Sirius instead of speaking, the expression on the man’s handsome face wouldn’t have been even slightly different.  
“You know they’re almost all Death Eat-”  
“Not the people, the house! The one you grew up in. If you ever did actually grow up, that is.” The suddenly tense muscles all over Sirius’ body had relaxed again, and he had to smile at the familiar jibe. If Remus was making jokes about his immaturity, well, things could definitely be worse.  
“Thanks Moony, but which one of the two of us is directly responsible for a one year old?” he asked, already starting to wonder how the hell that had become something he could truthfully say. Remus shook his head slowly.

“I swear, if you’d told me in our fifth year that before he was twenty-one he’d have a child, I would have told you that not only had someone hit you with a Confundus Charm, but you must not have had many wits to start off with. Come on,” Remus said, picking Harry up gently and taking a seat on the dusty floor. The young werewolf set his dead friend’s son in his lap and leaned against the wall. Baby Harry, more than happy with this turn of events, started to babble to himself and move about in Remus’ lap. “It could be worse.”


	4. Tempting Fate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The worst uncles ever, and how things got worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like my style is going to keep changing until I settle into what works, sorry about that!

“You know, I’m fairly sure this makes us the worst replacement parents ever,” Sirius said, doing his absolute best not to slur his words. A couple of empty firewhiskey bottles lay abandoned near the pair, but well out of little Harry’s adventurous reach. Remus really didn’t look any the worse for wear, but that might just be a side effect of his being shabby and somewhat unkempt to begin with. There were many good reasons for them to not be at a bar right then, most of which were to do with the fact that they were the sole carers for a legally kidnapped one year old, but also because Sirius looked about ready to flirt with, seduce, and then take off with whichever pretty person he spotted first.

“I’m sure there are worse. The Dursleys, for two,” Remus countered. As poorly equipped as the both of them were, they were comfortable in the security that they could not possibly be worse for Harry than his aunt and uncle. Not for the first or last time that night, both Sirius and Remus were forced to wonder what could possibly be possessing Dumbledore, ordering Hagrid to take Harry to those despicable people. “He is supposed to be the greatest wizard of the age…” Remus began. “No one can really contest that. Even Voldemort hesitated to try.”

“That’s true. But he’s what, a million year old man who runs a school. That’s a little different from knowing how to raise a kid. Plus, what right has he got to decide what happens to Harry? Running the Order never gave him the authority to choose the fates of every member, and their kids. Especially after Voldemort’s been killed.” Remus just nodded his agreement, and hoped that Sirius saw. If it weren’t for Harry, Remus knew that he would have hoped desperately that Wizarding Britain continued to listen to Albus Dumbledore’s advice for as long as the fear of Voldemort remained in their hearts, but he knew that wasn’t how people worked, and for once he was glad of it.

“I think we have the right to a couple of drinks Sirius.” Puzzlement drifted across Sirius’ face, so Remus hastened to clarify. “Think about the last twenty four hours. We lost James and Lily, you kidnapped Harry, the Dark Lord was defeated and one of our oldest friends is dead to us both. We’re grieving and celebrating and trying to figure out a whole new life, all at once. A couple of drinks is incredibly restrained, I know witches and wizards who wouldn’t be able to walk if they were facing all of this down. Merlin, a lot of them probably are that drunk anyway.”

“You have a point there Remus.” Sirius raised the bottle in his hand, bumped it gently against Remus’, and took another sip. His other hand was tucked tightly around the sleeping infant in his lap. No cradle, bed, or even a manger for little Harry.  
A knock at the door sounded, and both wizards had their wands in their hands before they’d even taken a breath. Sirius drew his jacket over the top of Harry, hiding him from view, and Remus moved quickly to the door. He opened it a crack, and peered out at the hopeful face of a gaggle of tweens, dressed in crazy costumes.

“We know it’s late, sir, but no one’s had any sweets anywhere we’ve been.” The rag-tag bunch looked miserable at the prospect of going home without enough sugar to puncture the teeth of every child in Great Britain.  
“The sun’s going to be up soon, it’s not All Hallow’s Eve anymore. The darkness is vanquished, the light is coming, and All Hallow’s Day is here.” The kids just looked confused, and deciding that this oddly dressed man brandishing a stick wasn’t worth whatever sweets he might have with him. As one, they scurried away, casting wary looks over their shoulders at him. On any other night they might have made fun of him, strange people were good for a laugh, but he’d had just a little too intense a look, it was just a little too late, and for a moment all of them had truly believed that they were talking to a wizard.

“What was that about?” Sirius asked, as Remus barred the door again and sat back down. He took Harry from where he had curled into Sirius’ lap and wrapped him in the coat he’d worn, lying the baby down between the two of them.  
“Trick or treaters. I completely forgot it was Halloween last night. So much happened…”  
“No kidding.”  
“Little Harry’s second Halloween. A lot scarier than the first, I’d guess.”  
“It would be hard to get much more terrifying than that,” Sirius said, an air of finality in the way he said it. The two men lapsed into an awkward silence, the inarticulate grief they shared once more stirred up from beneath the surface. There would come a time when it would be easier to remember their friends, but not even the strongest of people could find peace within hours.

As if it had known that the gentle peace between the two men had been shattered, first by trick or treaters then by their own thoughts, a letter slipped under the door.  
It was a bright red, and smoking at its folds. Sirius, slightly closer to the door, picked it up and scanned the address.  
“The Troublemaker, Sirius Black, wherever he is hiding,” Sirius read aloud slowly, and gave Remus an impish grin. “I think Dumbledore knows I have Harry. He's sent a Howler.”


	5. Howling at a Werewolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alternative Title: The Headmaster's Howler and How Our Handsome Heroes Hurriedly Head Off (To Sleep)

Neither of the young men could quite bring themselves to either look away from the angry red envelope, nor could they open it. Not even during the depths of the war had they ever heard of Dumbledore sending someone a Howler. Usually, receiving a sternly worded letter from the great man himself was more than enough to get anyone less than a Death Eater to cooperate. Or those who might as well be Death Eaters, Sirius would note.

“Is it just me,” Remus asked slowly, “Or do you feel like a naughty schoolboy as well?”  
“Remus, you make that sound so dirty.” Giggles, actual giggles escaped both of their lips at the hilarity of their situation. For the last four years, they’d fought Lord Voldemort tooth and nail, and now here they were again. Ignoring the demands of the Headmaster for James, just like they always had. “We’ve got to open it though, it’ll explode otherwise.”  
“Are you sure we can’t just, well, throw it in a box and let it go off there?” Sirius was shocked to hear Remus suggest it. Usually, he’d just gone along with whatever madcap plan Sirius and James had come up with.  
“We should at least know what we’re up against, right?”

As if it had decided that the debate had gone on for far too long, the Howler pried itself from Sirius’ fingers and opened up to deliver it’s rage.  
A great and terrible voice came from deep inside the envelope, speaking neither quickly or loudly, but with the kind of fearsome power that is impossible to fake.  
“Sirius Black. It is my wish that the infant, Harry Potter, be taken to live with his only living relatives; Petunia, Vernon and Dudley Dursley. You have assaulted my gamekeeper, and abducted Harry from his home. I would assume that you have Harry’s best interests at heart, but you have acted in error. Return him to me, or to the Dursleys immediately, or I shall not rest until I have caught you.” The Howler took a breath, turned, and looked darkly at Remus, despite a dramatic lack of eyes. “Remus Lupin. I expected better from you.”  
The Howler proceeded to shred itself, and then burst into little flames that had Sirius curl a protective arm around Harry.

“Dumbledore’s pissed,” Sirius said after the last of the embers had cooled itself. Remus couldn’t agree more.  
“I don’t think I’ve heard him say that many words outside of the feasts at Hogwarts,” Remus admitted. They had fought a war under his banner, and yet it was only when they dared cross him that the focus of his eye landed on them. And though neither of them would say so aloud, they knew precisely why this man was the only one whom Voldemort had feared.

It was here that their trains of thought diverged rapidly. Sirius was trapped in a vision of being forced to duel with Dumbledore, and he could not see himself winning, no matter what he tried.  
Remus’ thoughts were firmly set on running, something that had already become a part of his life. It was part of the curse of a lycanthrope, to never quite manage ever to settle in one place. He tried to think of places Dumbledore wouldn’t, protective charms that would conceal them, how to eat, and drink, and hide.  
“Where do we go now?” he asked, just as Sirius blurted out,  
“How can we fight this?”

The pair swapped focus, and both managed to solve the other’s problem with ease.  
“Andromeda. She married that Ted Tonks, a Muggleborn I guess, she was disowned like I was. I think I did it with more style, though. She has a daughter, there’s no way that she’d turn us in to Dumbledore, she’d understand,” Sirius said, with the beginnings of hope starting to grow in him.  
“Of course, and she could probably teach us how to take care of him. Sirius, Sirius we don’t need to fight Dumbledore. Unless he’s trying to kill Harry, which I can’t even…” he stopped for the moment at the horror of the idea. Dumbledore, the greatest Headmaster Hogwarts had ever had, murdering a child? Impossible. “Then all we have to do is run, he’ll never endanger Harry’s life, and I doubt he’d sacrifice us, either.”

It seemed that, contrary to all the expectations of the great man, the Howler had only served to refocus the runaways, and help them plan their next move. Remus wondered if this was the last time that someone would do that to him for a very long time, now that Voldemort was gone.  
“Right. Right, well that’s that then, isn’t it? We’ve got a plan, we’ve got Harry, we know what’s coming after us. That’s all we need.”  
“And each other,” Remus added quietly.  
“Of course. We’ve always got each other.”  
“I just-”  
“I know, Remus. It’s a lot to lose in a day. But you’ve still got me. I’m not going anywhere.”  
Remus chuckled hoarsely. “Unless Dumbledore sends you to Azkaban, for child abduction.” Sirius laughed too.  
“Me? Azkaban? It’s hardly the world’s most mischievous place, I’d be bored out of my brain.” The corners of his eyes crinkled as a thought occurred to him. “Mind you, it might be worth it if I caught that little rat, Wormtail.”  
“Don’t, Sirius. You know Harry needs you, and if you can’t raise a baby alone, I can’t either. Come on, Harry’s got the right idea. We need sleep, and plenty of it.”

The two men made themselves as comfortable as they could on the ground, subconsciously forming a barrier between the baby and the rest of the world. Harry James Potter slept soundly between his godfather and his Uncle Remus, safe and loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end of part one. The rest will still be posted as part of this story, it's just the story moving on to new things.


	6. Trouble, Terror and Tonks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andromeda and Nymphadora receive some unexpected guests.

A sharp crack rang out through the village, heralding the arrival of two young men and a very unhappy baby. The shabbier of the two was trying in vain to calm down the boy, with no success at all. The sun was high in the sky, and none of the three had the appearance of having slept much the night before.  
“You can’t do anything to shut him up?” Sirius asked irritably, clearly already regretting the decision to take Harry and run. If it was going to be all screaming and poor night’s sleep, maybe he really ought to have let the Dursleys take him. Luckily for Harry, all it took was remembering a photo of the family that Lily had kept hidden, and James had shown him once, for Sirius’ resolve to strengthen.  
“If I silence him, how are we going to know if he needs something? The baby can’t sign, Sirius, all he can do is cry.”  
“That’s all fine, but how do you know what he needs? All I hear is screaming!” The two stopped talking to each other for a moment then, neither having come up with an answer to that problem.  
“Well, isn’t that why we’re taking the risk and coming here?” Remus asked irritably. This had been Sirius’ plan after all, if it resulted in the both of them being arrested and Harry taken to his aunt and uncle’s, it would not be on his head. Except it would. A horrible, deep part of him wanted to curse James for dying and leaving them to raise Harry, even though he knew James would never have chosen to die. Some thoughts are just inescapable.

Sirius got to the gate first, and pushed it open a little harder than was necessary. They could hear a chime going off in the distance, and it was only moments before they were greeted by a cheerful, kind-looking young witch and what seemed to be something halfway between a young girl and a pig.  
“Nymphadora, you cut that out at once. We have company.”  
“Mum,” the clearly not pig said, reluctantly changing back into a properly human face.  
“Sirius, I’ve just heard the most incredible news. The radio was saying that You-Know-Who is dead, as well as the Potters, and that you’ve kidnapped-” she stopped at the sight of the infant in Remus’ arms, with all the air of a freight train grinding to a halt. “You haven’t,” Andromeda said breathlessly.  
“Mum, is that the boy from the radio?” Nymphadora asked eagerly. “Is that Harry Potter? Can I hold him mum?” Without really thinking about it, Remus clutched Harry a little tighter. Harry, who absolutely was thinking about it, complained noisily until Remus relaxed his grip.  
“Hi, Dromeda. How’s things?” Sirius asked, making his best attempt at casual.  
“Sirius Black have you kidnapped a child?” Sirius’ cousin sounded a lot older than her late twenties at that moment, as if she were channeling the bafflement of parent across the country.

“I have not kidnapped a child, Andromeda, and thank you for your overwhelming confidence in me. Harry is my godson, and since James and Lily are- since they can’t take care of him, that makes me his legal guardian.” He stared at her defiantly, and vaguely wished that he were holding Harry at that particular moment. It would have made the whole thing a little bit more dramatic.  
“I can’t believe you’d go against Dumbledore’s wishes like that- you’d best believe you’re in the Prophet,” Andromeda paused, finally letting Remus’ presence enter her conscious mind. “And who’s he, then?”  
“Andromeda, this is Remus Lupin. Remus, this is my favourite cousin, Andromeda.”  
“I should have guessed. Where’s the fourth one, Peter? There were always three names in the stories Sirius would send me.”  
Scowls leapt onto both Sirius and Remus’ face at the mention of his name. “Peter Pettigrew,” Sirius forced through his clenched teeth, “is the reason that Harry Potter is an orphan. He was the Potter’s Secret Keeper.”  
“Strange, I would have thought-”  
“That it’d be me, yeah. Well, I figured everyone would think that, so I convinced them to make it Peter at the last moment. Bluff them, right? Turns out that was the worst call I ever made. We all knew there was a spy, but no one thought that Peter would have the guts.”

The hush that settled quickly around the huddle was just as soon broken, by little Harry’s giggles and the snuffling sounds of Nymphadora Tonks as she resumed the pig nose of before. Andromeda couldn’t quite bring herself to tell her daughter to stop, not when the baby had been through so much in so little time.  
“If you would be so kind as to let us inside, I’m sure Sirius could enlighten you as to the other reasons why he defied Dumbledore and took Harry,” Remus said, mustering all the manners at his command.  
“There are more reasons?”  
“You’ll only find out if you give us a cuppa, Dromeda,” Sirius replied with a smirk. All three of them were more than happy to forget the conversation of moments earlier.  
“Oh, all right then. But if you have me regretting this, Sirius, I swear I’ll send you right to Dumbledore’s doorstep, baby and all. You’ve always danced on the line of being more trouble than you’re worth, I worry that you’ve crossed it this time!”  
The three adults wandered back into the house, followed closely by Nymphadora, still making faces at the smiling infant.


	7. Tea Time Tips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A moment of rest amidst the storm

“Did either of you stop to ask why You Know Who couldn’t kill that little baby?” Andromeda asked, taking her cup from Remus with a thin smile reminiscent of both her sisters.  
“What, you think that Harry’s some kind of incredibly powerful wizard? Look at him, Dromeda,” Sirius replied, in disbelief at the suggestion. Harry wasn’t paying attention to either of them, he’d taken to a stuffed Hippogriff that Nymphadora had dug out of the deepest depths of her wardrobe and presented to the baby. Harry didn’t seem sure if he wanted to eat it, hug it, or throw it around, and the fact that he couldn’t do all three was causing him mild distress.

“Well, no, but you can hardly believe that the worst Dark Wizard since Grindelwald, hell, even since before Grindelwald was defeated by a baby. That’s ridiculous!” Sirius shrugged.  
“I don’t know what happened. Maybe Lily wasn’t completely… gone, and she cursed Voldemort from behind. Maybe they’d enchanted Harry somehow, some kind of protective charm that no one else remembers. Lily is- was- a fearsomely clever witch. If anyone could have, her and Dumbledore…?”  
“Fine, fine, baby Dark Lord is a bit of a stretch. But still. Dumbledore’s got to have his reasons.”

Disgust greeted her on both of the young men’s faces.  
“For sending him to the Dursleys? Dromeda, they might be his family, but they’re family like the Lestranges are to us. If it had been you, and Nymphadora was to go to Narcissa, or Bellatrix…?” Her face twisted itself until she mirrored the horror that the others had expressed.  
“Alright, you’ve got me convinced. But really Sirius, how do you pair expect to raise a baby?”  
“That’s kind of why we’re here-”  
“Oh no. I have my hands full with this one, I’m not taking-”  
“Andromeda, no,” Remus said placatingly, “We just want some advice. Look at the two of us, we haven’t got the first idea how to raise a child. Generally people have nine months to try and learn everything they can in preparation, we ended up with Harry overnight. Sirius and I are better uncles than parents.”  
Andromeda gave them an appraising look, and then nodded slowly.  
“I guess you’re right at that. What do you need to know?”

Remus tried to start with the highest item on his mental list, but was beaten to the punch by his friend.  
“Crying. How do we make him stop crying?”  
“Did you try feeding him?”  
“Of course, we’re not morons.”  
“But?”  
“Well I can’t really blame anyone for not wanting to eat mushed up peas. They’re mushed up peas for goodness sake, it’s disgusting. Looks like someone already ate them once.”  
“You can give him more substantial food than that, Sirius, he’s a one year old. He should be crawling all over the place and trying to eat everything in sight.”  
They all stopped talking then, as Harry had decided that he would much rather chase Nymphadora around the house than play with the Hippogriff. The eight year old thought that this was a fantastic development, and kept tearing off just as Harry got close to her. “You have to let him catch you sometimes, dear, otherwise he’ll just give up.” Nymphadora nodded, and laughed uproariously as Harry grabbed onto her toes and held onto them as hard as he could.

“That awful scar. Is that where…?”  
“Yes. I tried to heal it, but nothing worked. I don’t think a Healer could get it off, he’ll have it forever.”  
“The poor thing. Lost his parents, and marked for life. Strange though, isn’t it? It looks rather like-”  
“Like a lightning bolt, yeah. He’s the only person in the world with a scar like that.”  
“You really think he survived the Killing Curse then, Remus?” Andromeda whispered.  
“He must have. It doesn’t make sense, but then, neither does any other explanation.”

Remus couldn’t blame Andromeda for being curious about the circumstances surrounding Harry’s parents deaths, he himself had a burning desire to know not only how Harry had survived the full power of Lord Voldemort, but also why he’d even been the target. There was no denying that Harry was who Voldemort was after, Dark wizards tended not to bother themselves about killing babies for no reason. But from what Sirius had told him of the scene, James had fought first, and Lily had tried to save Harry. While the Potters had been a thorn in his side, Remus could not understand why he had personally come after them, rather than a selection of cruel Death Eaters. It seemed terrifyingly personal, in a way that he simply couldn’t understand.

“Is there any other advice you can give us?” Sirius asked, already starting to feel exposed in the Tonks’ kitchen. If Dumbledore figured out who they had gone to first, he could be closing in on them as they spoke.  
“Everything and nothing, Sirius. Raising a child is a mix of trial and error, and trying to figure out how to solve the next problem before it happens. Buy some books, and write to me if there are any other questions you think up.”  
“Thank you, again, for everything. For not turning us in. I know-”  
“Oh, hush Sirius. You said it yourself, I know what it’s like to grow up in a family of horrible people. Even if two of them were my sisters. I had to help you the moment you turned up.” The two smiled softly at each other, as Sirius and Remus got up from the table. “Thank you for the tea, Remus, it was lovely.”  
“It could have done with a little chocolate on the side, but then, I’ve always been a bit partial.”  
Sirius gathered up Harry, and Nymphadora forced the stuffed Hippogriff into Remus’ hand. “He needs it more than I do,” she said bravely, and gave Remus a nod that was almost a salute.  
“You’ll see him again soon, okay?” Sirius said, trying to be reassuring.  
“Okay,” she replied, looking doubtful. Sirius shrugged to Remus and Andromeda, and with that the three vanished, replaced by a loud crack as the space they left behind them filled suddenly with air.

Andromeda took her wand out of her pocket, and tapped the radio that she had been listening to before she left, and it resumed with the headline it had not quite managed to so earlier.

  
_In the wake of You Know Who’s death at the apparent hands of young Harry Potter, Sirius Black has been ordered to turn himself in to the Ministry along with the child that he has apparently kidnapped. This order comes at the advice of the Supreme Mugwump, Albus Dumbledore, who insists that the infant be taken to his last remaining relatives, the Muggles Petunia and Vernon Dursley._

“Oh Sirius,” Andromeda muttered to herself, “You always knew how to get into the worst sorts of trouble.”


End file.
